Day 1: Off to Vancouver

13.7.2024

Day 1:

The alarm goes off at 5:45. We're ready to leave at 6:45. For the first time today we don't need a taxi to get to the airport, as it will be the first summer vacation without our daughter and she can drive us to the airport.

So this time there are only three of us flying on holiday, our 16 year old teenage son is (still) with us 😅😅

There is a long line waiting for us at the Auto Canada Bagage Drop Off counter, but we have enough time.

We stop briefly in the duty free shop. If we can't have a campfire (see yesterday there was a fire ban in BC - no campfires allowed 😢), then at least we'll have a nightcap in the evening 🤪

However, we skip the free gin at the tasting stand at 7:45 in the morning 😅😂

There is nothing going on at security, passport control was also empty. Our flight is still 15 minutes late.

We find a seat near our gate B 48 and chill.

We take off 20 minutes late. The plane has a 3-3-3 seating arrangement, we sit in the 3rd row on the right, I got the window seat 😅

There is WiFi on board. Good thing I can't chat with my daughter at home 😅

Unfortunately, you can only send text; the Air Canada onboard WiFi doesn't send pictures (I would have to use the paid WiFi for that). But it's fine. I manage to watch 2 films and sleep for 3 hours in between. The night was short.

The flight is smooth, despite the announced turbulence. We land at 11:30. Since I have already entered all the immigration information in advance using the Arrive Can app, we don't have to fill out anything and can go straight to the baggage carousel after the passport check at the machine. Things go quickly here too, after a few minutes we have our bags and take the hotel shuttle to the Holiday Inn Express Airport Hotel in Richmond. Nothing special, there is nothing in the area apart from a Costco, but there are 2 large queen beds and for the proud price of €250 you also get breakfast included.

Vancouver is expensive!!!

After we have moved into our room, we walk to the Sky Train station around the corner and travel to Vancouver Downtown, Waterfront, costs 8.55 CAD for 2 adults and 1 teenager. It is now 2:00 p.m. We stroll to the Waterfront to the cruise terminal, where 3 cruise ships are anchored. It is warm, a light wind is blowing, according to the temperature gauge +25 degrees. Perfect. We walk around the Vancouver Convention Center and watch the seaplanes take off and land. We stop at "De Dutch" and eat savory and sweet pancakes. Our internal clock says midnight, the local time says 3:00 p.m. So somewhere between lunch and dinner 😄

We stroll through downtown Vancouver, look into a few shops, buy drinks at Dollarama and then walk to the Gastown Steam Clock, which whistles the melody of Big Ben at 5 p.m.

We are pretty tired and exhausted and decide to take the Sky Train back to the hotel. The journey takes 20 minutes. It was a long day. On the way to the hotel we see two bunnies on the grass verge next to the road. They are not at all shy and are nibbling on the grass.

We fall into bed at 6 p.m., try to get through another hour of reading and playing on our cell phones, then allow ourselves to close our eyes. Our internal clock says it's four a.m....

for statistics:

Flown: Air Canada Boing 797-9, seats 23 HJK (10 hours)

Ran: 10 km

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express Airport (Richmond)

1 double room (2 queens) / breakfast 236 €

Weather: sunny, +23 degrees